Wellington chicks the men on the Ironman bike course in Kona

Chrissie Wellington missed the bike course record by 3.5 minutes in the face
of "brutal" headwinds. AP Photo/Chris Stewart

Chrissie Wellington wasted no time in taking the lead once she climbed back onto terra firma after the swim for the bike leg of the Ironman World Championships. She showed the audience that she meant business, swatting away the cameras as she took the lead, making it look easy.

Wellington seemed more concerned with the men in front of her than the women behind her as she moved up through the male pro field.

Rumors around Kona were flying that Chrissy was going to try to break the bike course record, a goal that she missed by 3:37, perhaps due to the headwinds on the second half of the course that Wellington called "brutal." The other rumor on the Kona streets, that Chrissy was running herself into the ground without a coach, was quickly dispelled as she established a 11-minute lead. Chrissie's 4:52:07 bike split had her coming into transition as Michael Lovato was running out.

The star of the day in the race for second was Tereza Macel of Team TBB, who managed to cap Wellington's lead at about 8 minutes. That may not sound impressive, but considering that the next women were riding 12 minutes back, Macel was having the race of her life. Macel's success is surely due to Ironman guru Brett Sutton's coaching, which was responsible for bringing Chrissie onto the scene two years ago.

Behind Brett Sutton's disciples of years present and past were Virginia Berasategui of Spain, and our hometown girl, Dede Griesbauer. Griesbauer did Boston proud, holding third place through the first eighty miles before giving up a spot to the Lanzarote champion. In transition, Rachel Joyce of Great Britain passed Griesbauer. Also having a great race was British star Leanda Cave, whose Great Athlete Auction to benefit the war on ALS will be closing as she closes in on the finish line.

Women's Bike Leaders

1. Chrissie Wellington 4:52:07 (23.01 mph)
2. Tereza Macel 5:04:17 (22.08 mph)
3. Virginia Berasategui 5:01:42 (22.28 mph)
4. Rachel Joyce 5:10:03 (21.67 mph)
5. Dede Griesbauer 5:10:22 (21.65 mph)
6. Charlotte Kolters 5:14:25 (21.37mph)
7. Tine Deckers 5:08:44 (21.77 mph)
8. Leanda Cave 5:19:02 (21.06 mph)
9. Mirinda Carfrae 5:14:18 (21.38 mph)
10. Rebekah Keat 5:15:50 (21.28 mph)